Parabéns, as you may know, means congratulations in Portuguese. But unlike in English, it is used much more frequently in Portuguese on an every day basis. Let’s take a look at the many usages for this noun.

Special events

Like in English, we use parabéns for special occasions like weddings, anniversaries and births.

Parabéns no seu casamento! Congratulations on your wedding!

Birthdays

We can use this word to mean “Happy birthday” by itself, given the context.

Hoje é meu aniversário. Today’s my birthday.

Parabéns! Happy birthday!

Good job/well done

We can use this word to mean good job or well done on an activity or project.

Parabéns! O texto ficou ótimo. Good job! The piece is great.

Ganharam o jogo? Parabéns! You won the game? Well done!

Compliment

Similar to the previous usage, we can use the word to compliment someone’s work.

Gostei muito do seu blog. Parabéns! I really like your blog. It’s great!

Parabéns! Adoramos a pintura. Congrats! We loved the painting.